Editorial: For the budget, use a scalpel, not a sledgehammer

Wednesday

Aug 24, 2011 at 12:01 AMAug 24, 2011 at 11:30 AM

Indeed, it’s taken as a matter of faith in conservative, libertarian and tea party circles that government isn’t the means by which we accomplish things we can’t do as individuals; it’s the enemy — one to be drowned in the bathtub, as conservative activist Grover Norquist has famously quipped.

There’s long been an easy way for candidates to make political hay: Run against Washington, against the very government one’s looking to join.

Indeed, it’s taken as a matter of faith in conservative, libertarian and tea party circles that government isn’t the means by which we accomplish things we can’t do as individuals; it’s the enemy — one to be drowned in the bathtub, as conservative activist Grover Norquist has famously quipped.

Rep. Tom Reed — like other GOP freshmen — has been vocal about wanting to minimize what he sees as regulatory burdens on businesses.

“Get government out of the way to let these people do what they do, and create wealth for generations to come,” the Corning Republican stated during a recent visit to Commodore Plastics in Bloomfield, N.Y.

Reed and like-minded colleagues have a point: Businesses, particularly small businesses, struggle under a variety of regulations. Local municipalities, as well, are saddled with many state and federal mandated expenses, as their taxpayers know all too well.

But politicians at photo ops are given to generalities. It would be instructive to hear them identify what regulations they view as unnecessary and to what degree they value protecting the safety of the workers or the integrity of the environment. Such specifics would give more confidence that the legislators — when drafting bills or crunching budget numbers — are carefully using a scalpel rather than recklessly swinging a sledgehammer.

If you view government as a malevolent monolith, then a sledgehammer’s just as good a tool as any. But that mindset removes any need for careful consideration of budgetary intricacies or the origins of regulations.

In fact, nay regulations are not only appropriate but necessary. If you’ve been hurt on the job, or treated unfairly in the workplace because of race or gender, or worry about the future of Medicare, you know that there is a place for government oversight.

Sledgehammers are effective if you’re just looking to pound away and do some damage. But if you’re looking to cut out the fiscal infections in our body politic, a scalpel’s a far better choice.

That is, if you’re hoping for a healthy patient.

Never miss a story

Choose the plan that's right for you.
Digital access or digital and print delivery.